Ron Howard (1) (1954–)

I don't usually read celeb bios, but THE BOYS, by Ron Howard & Clint Howard, was a library sale find for just a buck, and hey, it's about Opie Taylor and Richie Cunningham, so I snatched it up. And I thoroughly enjoyed the story of the Howard brothers and their loving parents, Oklahomans Rance and Joyce. Turns out Ron is pretty much a lot lot like Richie. I especially enjoyed learning about his years as Opie on the Andy Griffith Show. And, later, about his growing impatience as an actor and show more his burning desire to direct - that was pretty fascinating too. Oh, and what he had to say about his goober-ish courtship of his wife, that was fun. And I especially admired the boys' parents, their Midwestern work ethic and the down-to-earth way they raised their sons. I should probably say more about Clint's side of the story, but he didn't come off nearly as likable as Ron. Five years younger than Ron, less ambitious and less successful, he drifted into drugs and booze in his teen years, causing his parents, I'm sure, a lot of grief. But he got clean in his thirties, and the brothers remain close to this day. The subtitle, "A Memoir of Hollywood and Family," is accurate, because as big a name Ron Howard is, there is just as much about his family here as there is about his career. A well-written, very entertaining read. If you were a fan, you'll love it. Well done, "Boys." Very highly recommended.

- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER show less

Far and way beyond the usual glass-bubble, self-focused Hollywood memoir, Ron and Clint's The Boys takes you behind the scenes of twentieth-century showbiz, but with a twist: your guides are actually nice, thoughtful people. In fact, I'd venture to say that Ron Howard in particular is an example of how growing up in a truly nurturing family can give someone the strength to grow into a strong, ethical person who is able, through hard work and just a little luck, to realize his potential. Such show more a background is probably rarer than you might think, and it's certainly rare in Hollywood.

In fact, I would have enjoyed hearing more from Clint, who struggled far more. One gets the sense that he didn't want to rain on Ron's sunny parade by talking about his struggles — and the difficult, dark-side-of-Hollywood things he saw and Ron didn't — by saying as much as he could have. He definitely plays second fiddle in this book, and that seems like a shame.

Aside from the Howards' personalities, and the loving and detailed portrait of their shared, almost unbelievably supportive parents, I enjoyed the trips behind the stages of The Andy Griffith Show and Happy Days, and learning about Ron's far from straightforward journey from acting to directing with the help of Roger Corman, who seems to have been a mentor to dozens of great directors. show less

I was taking a road trip to see my daughter graduate from college, so I downloaded a few audiobooks to listen to in the car. My wife had already read this, but said she wouldn't mind hearing it narrated. We started it on the last day of our return trip and got halfway through before we finally arrived home. We still had the paper book from the library too, so I switched over to that to finish out the book.

The Boys is an engaging and easy read with plenty of guest star cameos and a little bit show more of insider dirt. This is sort of a nostalgia wallow for me since I grew up watching Ron Howard on The Andy Griffith Show and Happy Days, and large chunks of the book are given over to anecdotes from the sets of those two shows. As presented, Ron is the rare child actor who transitioned relatively smoothly to adult roles and a successful directing career. More than a bit of a square, he had a pretty golden life and has a fairly positive attitude about everything now. To add a little spice and darkness, his brother Clint contributes the occasional chapter and interjection that present his more cynical take on things, as his child acting career petered out and he found himself becoming a bit of a cult figure due to his adult career as a character actor. Clint also talks about his problems with substance abuse.

The brothers let the book serve mostly as a love letter to their parents, who started and guided their childhood careers while their father scrabbled to keep his own acting career alive and their mother struggled with mental and physical health issues. They had their ups and downs but launched an entertainment dynasty while keeping everyone fairly humble.

The book pretty much ends with Ron directing his first movie, making me feel like there may be a second volume down the road covering the rest of his filmmaking career. I'd certainly pick it up if it came to be. show less

This is a memory about two brothers growing up in show business in the 60s, about their future careers and about their parents. As a fan of the Andy Griffith Show, I wanted some behind the scenes stuff about that show, and I got that, but also a lot of content about the boys' parents. That took me aback in the beginning, because I did not know or care about those people, but in the end this book won me over, because it has an inspiring, uplifting message about family love.